Pill dispensing device having plural cut-off trap chamber

ABSTRACT

A pill dispensing device positioned in the neck of the pill container and operable by the container cap. The device is provided with a hollow rotatable member positioned in the container neck and rotatable by turning the cap. The rotatable member is provided with an end wall having a hole therethrough. A fixed member is supported adjacent said end wall and on the outside thereof, and a rotatable disc is supported by said rotatable member on the outside of said fixed member. The fixed member and the rotatable disc both have holes therethrough and the hole in the disc is adapted to receive a pill from the supply in the container when the container is inverted. The pill is transferred from the hole in the disc into the hole in the fixed member and from the latter hole into the hole in the hole in the rotatable end wall of the hollow member when the cap is turned. The pill may be removed from the hollow member after the cap is removed from the container, and the cap must be placed back upon the container before the device can be used to dispense another pill.

United States Patent [191 McConnell et a1.

[ PILL DISPENSING DEVICE HAVING PLURAL CUT-OFF TRAP CHAMBER [76] Inventors: John A. Mcfionnell, 5680 Robertson Avenue; Everett W. Williamson, 36338 Concord Place, both of Newark, Calif. 94560 22 Filedi July 12,1971 21 Appl.No.: 161,742

[52] US. Cl. ..221/265, 222/370, 222/452 [51 Int. Cl. ..B65d 83/04 [58] Field of Search ..221/265, 298;

{5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,055,559 9/1962 Allison ..222/452 X 3,424,355 1/1969 Blumen ..222/450 3,129,853 4/1964 Hoskins.... ..222/370 X 3,211,334 10/1965 McShea.... ..222/452 X 2,886,209 5/1959 Lermer ..222/452 X 3,241,712 3/1966 Sacchetti et a1. ..221/265 3,224,634 12/1965 Semsch ..222/452 X Primary Examiner Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-David A. Scherbel Attorney-Harper Allen and Ben J. Chromy [451 ay 1, r973 [5 7 ABSTRACT A pill dispensing device positioned in the neck of the pill container and operable by the container cap. The device is provided with a hollow rotatable member positioned in the container neck and rotatable by turning the cap. The rotatable member is provided with an end wall having a hole therethrough. A fixed member is supported adjacent said end wall and on the outside thereof, and a rotatable disc is supported by said rotatable member on the outside of said fixed member. The fixed member and the rotatable disc both have holes therethrough and the hole in the disc is adapted to receive a pill from the supply in the container when the container is inverted. The pill is transferred from the hole in the disc into the hole in the fixed member and from the latter hole into the hole in the hole in the rotatable end wall of the hollow member when the cap is turned. The pill may be removed from the hollow member after the cap is removed from the container, and the cap must be placed back upon the container before the device can be used to dispense another pill.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEU W 1 73 INVENTORS. JOHN A. MCCONNELL EVERETT W. WILLIAMSON ATTORNaS PILL DISPENSING DEVICE HAVING PLURAL CUT-OFF TRAP CHAMBER I DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a pill dispensing device.

An'object of this invention is to provide an improved pill dispensing device which is adapted to be placed into the neck of a pill container and which is operable by the cap or closure provided to the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pill dispenser which is provided with safety features so that it is difficult to obtain a pill from the container after the cap of the container is removed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pill dispenser device for a pill container, said device being provided with a pill transferring means employing a pair of rotatable members having a fixed member sandwiched therebetween, these members are provided with holes so that as the container cap is rotated, a pill entering the hole of the outer rotatable member is transferred to a hole in the fixed member and therefrom into a hole in the inner rotatable member to be removed from the pill container, this pill dispensing operation taking place as the cap of the pill container is turned through a predetermined angle.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following specification, claims and drawing.

In accordance with this invention there is provided a pill dispensing device that is positioned in the neck of the pill container to be operable by rotating the cap or cover of the container through a predetermined angle. When a pill is to be removed from the container, the container is inverted so that one of the pills falls into a hole provided to a rotatable member which is supported adjacent a fixed member. This rotatable member is turned by turning .the cap and after it is rotated through a predetermined angle the hole therethrough is aligned with a hole in the fixed member and the pill is transferred from the rotatable member to the hole in the fixed member. Further rotation of the container cap aligns the hole in another rotatable member with the hole in the fixed member whereby the pill is transferred from the fixed member to the hole in this rotatable member and from this latter hole the pill is dropped into the hollow member positioned in the neck of the container from which it may be removed by removing the cap completely from the container. Suitable means is provided for limiting the rotation angle of the rotatable members with respect to the fixed member and after a pill is dispensed through these members the cap of the container must be rotated in reverse direction in order to condition the device for the removal .of another pill from the container.

Further details and features of this invention will be set forth in the following specification, claims and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view partially in section showing this pill dispensing device positioned in the neck of the pill container which is shown in inverted position;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the parts of this pill dispenser shown inverted between the neck of the container and the container cap;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the innermost rotatable member of this device;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the innermost rotatable member with the hole therethrough aligned with the hole in the fixed member which is positioned adjacent to one side of the rotatable member;

FIG. 5 is a plan view partially broken away showing the hole of another rotatable member which is positioned on the other side of the fixed member and which is aligned with the hole in the fixed member; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2 showing the rotation limiting groove in the one surface of the outer rotatable member.

Referring to the drawing in detail reference numeral 10 designates a container made of plastic, glass, or the like, and provided with a neck 11. A cup 12 is positioned in the neck and this cup is provided with ribs 13 which frictionally engage the inner walls of the neck and prevent rotation of the cup inside of the neck. The cup 12 is provided with a flange 14 that engages the lip of the mouth of the neck and limits the distance that the cup may be pressed into the neck. The cup 12 is also provided with a bottom 15 which is attached to the sidewall of the cup by suitable cement, glue, or the like, or it may be made integral with the sidewalls.

Another cup 16 is positioned inside of the cup 12 and is rotatable with respect to the latter. The cup 16 is provided with a bottom 17 which is integral with the sidewall or is attached to the sidewall by suitable cement, adhesive, or the like. The bottom 17 is positioned adjacent to the inner surface of the bottom 15 of cup 12. The exterior surface of the bottom 17 is provided with a groove 18 and the bottom 15 is provided with an annular projection 19 which fits into this groove. A hole 20 is provided extending through the bottom 17 and a similar hole 21 is provided extending through the bottom 15. The bottom 15 is also provided with an inclined groove 22 which gradually slopes from the outer surface of this bottom into the hole 21.

Centrally disposed holes 23 and 24 are provided to the bottoms 15 and 17, respectively, for receiving the rod 25 that is attached to the disc 26. The disc 26 and rod 25 are rotatable with respect to the bottom 15 through a portion of a turn as determined by the stop pin 28 that is attached to the bottom 15 and which extends into a groove 27 provided to the inner surface of the disc 26 as shown in FIG. 6. The inner end of the rod 25 is attached to the bottom 17 in the hole 24 by suitable cement adhesive, glue, or the like. The disc 26 is provided with a hole 29 extending therethrough and a groove 30 is formed in the outer surface of this disc gradually sloping from the surface thereof toward the hole 29.

This device is also provided with a cap 31 similar to the cap provided to the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,355. This cap is provided with a cylindrical portion 32 that extends into the inner cap 16 and frictionally engages the ribs 16a provided on the inside of this cup. Thus, when the cap 31 is turned it turns the inner cup 16 and the bottom 17 of this cup and also the disc 26 within limits of the groove 27 and stop pin 28. The parts shown in the exploded view FIG. 2 are assembled in the neck of the bottle as shown in FIG..1 in which the bottle is shown in its inverted position so that the pills 33 are resting on thedisc 26. Thus, one of the pills will enter the hole 29 of the disc 26 when the bottle is inverted or a a pill will slide down the inclined groove 30 into the hole 29 as the disc 26 is turned by turning the cap 31.

Initially it is assumed that the holes 20, 21 and 29 are disposed with respect to each other as shown in FIG. 3. The holes 20 and 29 which are carried by the members 17 and 26, respectively, are rotatable together when the cap 31 is turned. However, the hole 21 which is carried by the member is stationary since the member 15 is attached to or is a part of the outer cup 12. The pin 28 is then positioned in the end 27a of the groove 27 adjacent to the hole 29. When the disc 26 is turned in the direction indicated by the arrow 34 by turning the cap 31 in this direction, while the bottle is in inverted position, the hole 29 passes over the hole 21 of member 15 and the pill 33 which was lodged in hole 29 drops into the hole 21 in member 15. Continuing the turning of the cap 31 in this same direction brings the hole of member 17 in line with hole 21 of member 15 and when these holes are aligned the pill 33 drops from hole 21 into hole 17 and out of the hole 20 into the inner cup 16.

At this time the pin 28 will be at the end 27b of the groove 27 thereby limiting rotation of the cap 31 in the direction indicated by arrow 34. The cap 31 may then be removed by pulling the cylindrical part 32 thereof out of the inner cup 16 and the pill dispensed by the device may be removed from the cap. No further pills may be dispensed from the bottle until the cap 31 and the cylindrical part 32 thereof are reassembled with the bottle by inserting the portion 32 into the inner cup 16 and rotating the cap in the reverse direction indicated by arrow 35 to bring the rotatable members 17 and 26 to the position with respect to the fixed member 15 shown in FIG. 3.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the form shown so that the scope thereof should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What We claim is:

1. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination comprising a fixed hollow member positioned in the neck of the container and frictionally held therein to prevent rotation thereof, said hollow member having an end wall positioned well inside of said neck, said end wall having a hole therethrough, a rotatable sleeve positioned on the inside of said fixed hollow member, said sleeve having a bottom attached to the inner end thereof, said bottom having a hole therethrough, a rotatable member having a hole therethrough, means connecting said bottom of said sleeve with said rotatable member, said connecting means supporting said rotatable member on the inside of said end wall of said fixed member, said connecting means supporting said rotatable member so that it is rotatable simultaneously with said sleeve and said sleeve bottom, said means supporting said rotatable member so that the hole therethrough is out of alignment with the hole through said bottom ofsaid sleeve, a cap for said container, said cap having a hollow cylindrical portion extending into said sleeve and frictionally engaging the inside of said sleeve to turn it when said cap is turned and bring the hole through said rotatable member into allgnmen with the hole t rough said end wall of said fixed member so that the pill falling into the hole in said rotatable member when said container is inverted is transferred into the hole in said end wall of said fixed member and upon further turning of said cap said pill is dropped through the hole in the bottom of said sleeve into the inside of said cylindrical portion of said cap to be removed therefrom when said cap is removed from said container at which time the said holes are out of alignment.

2. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means limiting the angle of rotation of said rotatable member with respect to said end wall.

3. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination as set forth in claim 2, further characterized in that said means limiting the angle of rotation of said rotatable member with respect to said end wall comprises a pin attached to said end wall extending into an arcuate groove in said rotatable member.

4. In a dispensing-device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills therefrom, the combination comprising a fixed hollow member positioned in the neck of the container and frictionally held therein to prevent rotation thereof, said hollow member having an end wall attached thereto positioned well inside of said neck, said end wall having a hole therethrough, a rotatable member having a face positioned in said hollow member adjacent said end wall, said rotatable member having a hole therethrough which may be brought into registry with the hole through said end wall during rotation of said rotatable member, another rotatable member positioned on the outside of said end wall adjacent thereto, means extending through said end wall for attaching said other rotatable member to said first mentioned rotatable member, said other rotatable member having a hole therethrough which may be brought into registry with the hole through said end wall when the hole in said first mentioned rotatable member is out of registry therewith, the outside of said other rotatable member having a sloping pill guide groove which slopes toward the hole through this member, the outside of said end wall also having a sloping pill guide groove which slopes toward the hole through this end 'wall, a cap, means extending into said hollow member from said cap for rotating said first mentioned rotatable member and said other rotatable member simultaneously when said cap is rotated whereby when said container is inverted a pill is guided by the groove in said other rotatable member into the hole through this member and upon further rotation of said cap said pill is dropped into the groove in said end wall guiding said pill into the hole through said end wall from which, upon further rotation of said cap said pill is dropped into the hole through said first mentioned rotatable member and upon the inside of said cap to be removed therefrom when said cap is removed from the container. 

1. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination comprising a fixed hollow member positioned in the neck of the container and frictionally held therein to prevent rotation thereof, said hollow member having an end wall positioned well inside of said neck, said end wall having a hole therethrough, a rotatable sleeve positioned on the inside of said fixed hollow member, said sleeve having a bottom attached to the inner end thereof, said bottom having a hole therethrough, a rotatable member having a hole therethrough, means connecting said bottom of said sleeve with said rotatable member, said connecting means supporting said rotatable member on the inside of said end wall of said fixed member, said connecting means supporting said rotatable member so that it is rotatable simultaneously with said sleeve and said sleeve bottom, said means supporting said rotatable member so that the hole therethrough is out of alignment with the hole through said bottom of said sleeve, a cap for said container, said cap having a hollow cylindrical portion extending into said sleeve and frictionally engaging the inside of said sleeve to turn it when said cap is turned and bring the hole through said rotatable member into alignment with the hole through said end wall of said fixed member so that the pill falling into the hole in said rotatable member when saId container is inverted is transferred into the hole in said end wall of said fixed member and upon further turning of said cap said pill is dropped through the hole in the bottom of said sleeve into the inside of said cylindrical portion of said cap to be removed therefrom when said cap is removed from said container at which time the said holes are out of alignment.
 2. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means limiting the angle of rotation of said rotatable member with respect to said end wall.
 3. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills from the container, the combination as set forth in claim 2, further characterized in that said means limiting the angle of rotation of said rotatable member with respect to said end wall comprises a pin attached to said end wall extending into an arcuate groove in said rotatable member.
 4. In a dispensing device inserted into the neck of a pill container for dispensing pills therefrom, the combination comprising a fixed hollow member positioned in the neck of the container and frictionally held therein to prevent rotation thereof, said hollow member having an end wall attached thereto positioned well inside of said neck, said end wall having a hole therethrough, a rotatable member having a face positioned in said hollow member adjacent said end wall, said rotatable member having a hole therethrough which may be brought into registry with the hole through said end wall during rotation of said rotatable member, another rotatable member positioned on the outside of said end wall adjacent thereto, means extending through said end wall for attaching said other rotatable member to said first mentioned rotatable member, said other rotatable member having a hole therethrough which may be brought into registry with the hole through said end wall when the hole in said first mentioned rotatable member is out of registry therewith, the outside of said other rotatable member having a sloping pill guide groove which slopes toward the hole through this member, the outside of said end wall also having a sloping pill guide groove which slopes toward the hole through this end wall, a cap, means extending into said hollow member from said cap for rotating said first mentioned rotatable member and said other rotatable member simultaneously when said cap is rotated whereby when said container is inverted a pill is guided by the groove in said other rotatable member into the hole through this member and upon further rotation of said cap said pill is dropped into the groove in said end wall guiding said pill into the hole through said end wall from which, upon further rotation of said cap said pill is dropped into the hole through said first mentioned rotatable member and upon the inside of said cap to be removed therefrom when said cap is removed from the container. 